


Christmas Problems

by opal_sapphire



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 17:44:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18057155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opal_sapphire/pseuds/opal_sapphire
Summary: You've always loved decorating for Christmas, until this year.  Loki wants to know why.





	Christmas Problems

You opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Turning around, you looked out into the living room. You raised your eyebrows and walked around to the barstools in front of the counter and sat.

Loki was untangling the lights for the Christmas tree. Said tree was already up, and boxes filled with decorations were scattered around the room. You watched him for a moment.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” you said. "I usually have to bribe you with sweets to get you to decorate.“

"Yes, well, you’re taking too long,” Loki replied, still fighting with the lights.

You smiled briefly, though he couldn’t see it with his back facing you.

“Why isn’t this place already reeking of Christmas?” He asked, turning so he was facing you. “It isn’t like you to wait this long.”

You shrugged. “Just not feeling it this year.”

Loki stopped and looked at you incredulously. You couldn’t really blame him. You loved Christmas. You were the one to bring out the decorations, make Christmas sweets and sing the songs. It might’ve taken a hefty number of sugary treats, but you’d even managed to get Loki to decorate with you every year since Thor brought him to the tower. To say you weren’t into Christmas this year was akin to saying the holiday didn’t exist.

“That is unlike you,” he said.

“Decorating is unlike you,” you replied.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing.”

Loki frowned. “You’re talking to the God of Lies, Y/N.”

“I’m aware,” you replied.

Seeing that you weren’t going to elaborate, Loki rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the bundle of lights. After a few minutes of hopeless pulling and tugging, he cursed under his breath and used his magic to detangle them.

“Cheater,” you said. He glanced at you and saw you smiling, but it didn’t quite reach your eyes. You watched him wind the lights around the tree. You were reminded of the first time the two of you had decorated together.

_**You hung the first of many ornaments on the tree, smiling to yourself. Decorating the Christmas tree was your favorite part. Aside from baking the sweets, of course.** _

_**“What are you doing?”** _

_**You turned and saw Loki watching you from the kitchen. You smiled at him. "Decorating the Christmas tree.“** _

_**"You’re hanging things on a tree for a pointless Midgardian holiday?” He scoffed.** _

_**Your smile quickly turned into a frown. “Well, bah humbug to you, too. It might be pointless to you, Loki, but it’s not to me.”** _

_**He sat on a barstool. "Why not?“** _

_**"Because it’s Christmas.”** _

_**Loki raised an eyebrow. You sighed. How were you supposed to explain Christmas? To you it was something everyone knew and understood, something that went without saying. Now you had to explain it.** _

_**“It’s fun,” you tried. “It’s a happy time where you’re supposed to, um…hell.” You took a deep breath and tried again. “Christmas is a time where you can forget your problems and the world’s problems for a bit. Like a vacation. It’s fun and it’s happy, and it might be temporary, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be wonderful.”** _

_**You hoped that was sufficient enough. Loki didn’t say anything, just stared at you. You were beginning to feel uncomfortable, so you grabbed an ornament out of a box and continued decorating the tree.** _

_**Biting your lip, you took a deep breath and turned around. Loki was still watching you, still silent.** _

_**“Do you wanna decorate with me?” You asked hopefully. You had a feeling his answer would be to scoff at you. You were hoping, though, that you were wrong. You couldn’t explain it, but you just really wanted to decorate with him.** _

_**He didn’t look impressed. You bit the inside of your cheek as an idea came to you. "I’ll make an extra batch of my fudge for you.“** _

_**Your fudge was renowned as the best by the team. It was something they bugged you to make year-round, but you saved it for the Christmas season so it was special.** _

_**Loki stood and walked over to you, raising his eyebrows at the boxes around you. He picked up an ornament and looked at you. "Where does this go?”** _

_**Your smile was bright enough to light all of New York.** _

Every year after that you’d decorated together. You always made sure to make an extra batch of fudge for Loki as well.

Feeling your throat tighten, you left the room as quickly and as quietly as you could. You made a beeline for your bedroom. The privacy would give you a chance to recollect yourself. You pushed the door closed behind you and took a deep breath. Then you realized you didn’t hear it click closed. You turned and saw Loki in the doorway. You swallowed hard, trying to force down the lump that had formed in your throat. He stepped forward and closed the door behind him.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” He asked.

You gave a bitter smile and pressed a hand over your eyes. "What isn’t wrong anymore?“

You sat on the side of your bed. Loki sat next to you on your left. "Turn on the TV, go on the Internet, go outside, turn on the radio.   
All you ever hear about anymore is how screwed up the world is getting. Another horrible attack happened, a world leader is making an ass out of themselves again, it doesn’t matter. What’s the point of celebrating Christmas, celebrating anything, if the world is literally becoming Hell on Earth?”

Your voice was quiet and had started out strong, but quickly broke as you went on. You wiped at your eyes with the back of your right hand. Loki took your left hand and gently squeezed it.

“All these horrible and infuriating things are happening,” he said. "They will continue to happen, whether we like it or not. But those who try to oppress us want to see us defeated, want to see us afraid. They thrive on it. Their victory lies within it.“

He took your other hand. You glanced at him and saw a gentleness in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before.

"It’s alright to be upset about it,” Loki continued. "It doesn’t make you weak. It proves that you have a heart, that you care. But you must never give up. You must keep fighting, even when it seems like it doesn’t matter. It does matter, Y/N. I used to think Christmas was ridiculous.“

"A pointless Midgardian holiday,” you reminded him, a ghost of a smile on your lips.

He returned it. “Yes. You showed me it was so much more than that. You showed me the importance of having holidays, large and small. They remind us that everything can be alright, even for a little while.”

Your vision was blurred with tears, but you weren’t really sad anymore. You were grateful. "Thank you, Loki,“ you whispered.

He squeezed your hands again and stood, pulling you up with him. "Come. We’ve got a tree to decorate.”


End file.
